Loro KAL | Casting-On + Making Mods

Hello! We're ready to cast-on for Loro! If you're been following along so far, you'll know that I swatched five yarns in preparation for today. I forgot to mention that I picked up four of them at Tolt Yarn and Wool, my semi-local LYS (Cascade Ecological Wool, Madeline Tosh Vintage, Peace Fleece Worsted, and Quince & Co. Osprey Heathers). They should all be available online soon, or you can call and place an order over the phone. I've decided to use Zealana Tui, a soft single-ply which is slightly too heavy at 3 stitches to the inch knit on size 9 needles. Lucky me, as Zealana's Brand Ambassador I was able to get this gloriously fluffy possum/merino/cashmere blend on a cone, meaning I'll have very few yarn ends to weave in (truth be told, I swear by spit-splicing, so I rarely have many ends).

The fabric on 9s is already rather firm, and to get to the stated gauge of 4 stitches to the inch, I'd have to drop at least a needle size, which would probably yield a cardboard-like fabric. I decided to do a bit of tinkering on my calculator, coming up with a new cast-on number that would work with my gauge. It was very easy, and I'll walk you through what I did in case you're having trouble getting gauge, or, like me, you fancy yourself a rebel.

Oh! One more note: in my last post I said that matching row gauge isn't all that important and that's not exactly true. I'm shortening my vest, and since the pattern calls for decreases every 12 rows (approximately every 2"), I needed to figure out how many decreases will be eliminated in the shortened version so I can adjust my stitch count accordingly.

I'll be knitting a medium, which measures 21.5" across at the lower hem. The medium back as written is 29" long and I'd like to shorten my vest to about 21", which means eliminating 4 decreases. First, I need to find my new cast-on number. I know that the original back measures 21.5" across at lower hem, so I multiply this number by my new gauge and get 64.5. I need a whole, even number to work Moss Stitch and the built-in garter selvedge, so I round down to 64. I subtract the decreases I'm omitting and get 60. This is my new cast-on number. I'll cast on 60 and proceed with the pattern as written.

Leaving a 16-18" tail of yarn when casting-on is a great way to facilitate neat seaming later, but that long tail can get in your way while you're knitting. I wind it into a small bundle called a yarn butterfly, a technique that can also be used in lieu of bobbins when working intarsia. The whole process is pictured below:

1. Wind tail around thumb and forefinger in a figure eight formation.

2. Carefully lift bundle off thumb and finger, leaving a 6-8" tail.

3. Use remaining yarn to create one backwards loop, as pictured.

4. Place bundle through loop and pull tail to tighten.

5. Repeat until bundle is secure.

Good luck with your cast-on! Let me know if you have any questions, or if you're making any mods of your own. Comment here or in our Loro KAL Ravelry thread, and be sure to hashtag #LoroKAL on Twitter and Instagram so we can all keep tabs on each other's progress. Have fun!